This invention relates generally to a secure mailbox with mail storage and a theft prevention device which prevents thefts of articles received in the mailbox.
The mailbox of the present invention allows a mail carrier to deliver mail or to pickup mail in the normal manner. The mailbox of the present invention also allows accepting and storing mails in a secure, theft-proof manner, and allows easy retrieval of delivered mails at a later date instead of making a trip to the post office. The mailbox of the present invention further allows to eliminate time consuming trips to a post office for requesting to hold mails at the post office during vacation or business trips or for any other short or long period of time. In addition, the mailbox of the present invention also allows regular mail delivery, mail pickup and retrieval without interfering with stored mails. The mailbox of the present invention provides a safe deposit of delivered mail to be retrieved at a later date.
Conventionally, a mailbox erected at the edge of a roadway or curb side of a street in a rural area, town and village is used primarily for temporarily holding or storing delivered mail for a short duration, for example, for a few hours or a day or several days, without providing safeguards against theft of the delivered mail.
Many users of mailboxes in rural areas, towns and villages would prefer to have their valuable mail stored in a safe manner and without interruption of daily mail delivery, while having the flexibility of storing mail for a long period of time while they are away and allowing them to retrieve stored mail at a later date when they return.
Several known mailboxes have sought to safeguard delivered mail by providing locks and slots for retrieval, but have generally failed to provide sufficiently convenient, long term storage and retrieval capabilities. Such prior art mailboxes are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,999 to Fitzgerald et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,626 to Berry; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,979 to Mann. The present invention is directed to improvements over these prior art devices.
In addition, the U.S. Post Office provides mailboxes at street corners which are capable of collecting mail which is to be picked up by post office personnel. However, such mailboxes, if used as mailboxes for individuals, do not provide a method of retrieving the delivered and held mail in the mailbox without accessing the storage compartment of the mailbox with keys, and do not provide a method of holding outgoing mail which is to be picked up by a mail carrier.
It is therefore desired to provide a secure mailbox with a device which is capable of accepting and holding mail and which provides for convenient retrieval of the mail by the mailbox owner on a daily basis and which also allows outgoing mail to be picked up by a mail carrier on a daily basis, without interfering with previously stored mail. In addition, it is desired to provide such a mailbox device which allows the continuous and secure storage of delivered mail. Still further, it is desired to provide such a mailbox device which provides secure mail storage for a long period of time, and convenient retrieval capabilities, without dependence on visiting a post office to recover mail which has been held in the post office.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a mailbox which is capable of safely storing delivered mail and which later allows retrieval of the stored mail.
It is another object of the invention to provide a mailbox that provides flexibility of mail delivery and mail pick up of outgoing mail by a mail carrier and retrieval of mail by the owner on a daily basis and/or safely storing mail for an extended period of time and to be recovered by the owner at a later date.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a mailbox that eliminates time consuming and inconvenient trips to the post office to request or reclaim mail held thereby.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a mailbox that automatically closes the mailbox door in the event that a mail carrier forgets to close the door when the mailbox is being operated in the mode for safely storing mail.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mailbox that reduces post office operating costs which are related to handling and holding mail in the post office and eliminating additional space requirement for storing such held mail.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a mailbox comprises a housing for receiving and storing mail, the housing having an upper opening through which mail can be deposited and retrieved, and a lower opening through which mail can be retrieved; a mailbox door mounted to the housing for movement between a first door position in covering relation to the upper opening and a second door position out of covering relation to the upper opening; and a lockable door movable between a first locked position in covering relation to the lower opening and a second unlocked position out of covering relation to the lower opening. A mail support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between (i) a first mail support position for supporting mail thereon, and (ii) a second position for supplying mail to a lower portion of the housing. A lower support is movably mounted within the housing and coupled to the mailbox door, the lower support being movable upon movement of the mailbox door between (i) a first support position to prevent the mail support from moving to the second position, in response to movement of the mailbox door to the second door position, and (ii) a second position which releases the mail support so that the mail support can move to the second position thereof in order to supply mail thereon from an upper portion of the housing to the lower portion of the housing, in response to movement of the mailbox door from the second door position to the first door position.
Preferably, the mail support includes a flat mail support plate, and the lower support includes a flat lower support plate. In addition, the mail support plate includes a nub or projection at an underside thereof, and a free end portion of the lower support plate engages the nub or projection when the lower support is moved to the first support position to support the mail support in the first mail support position.
The mail support plate may further include a mail holder on the underside of the support plate for holding outgoing mail regardless of the position of the support plate. In addition, the support plate may include an actuator arrangement for releasing the bottom support plate from the support position of the mail support responsive to an article being placed thereon. The actuator arrangement may be in the shape of a leaf strip which includes an actuator pin which is moved responsive to displacement of the resilient leaf strip.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a mailbox comprises a housing for receiving and storing mail, the housing having an upper opening through which mail can be deposited and retrieved, and a lower opening through which mail can be retrieved; a mailbox door mounted to the housing for movement between a first door position in covering relation to the upper opening and a second door position out of covering relation to the upper opening; and a lockable door mounted to the housing for movement between a first locked position in covering relation to the lower opening and a second unlocked position out of covering relation to the lower opening to permit access to the housing. A mail support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between (i) a first mail support position for supporting mail thereon, and (ii) a second position for supplying mail to a lower portion of the housing. A lower support is movably mounted within the housing for movement between (i) a first support position to prevent the mail support from moving to the second position, in response to movement of the mailbox door to the second door position, and (ii) a second position which releases the mail support so that the mail support can move to the second position thereof in order to supply mail thereon from an upper portion of the housing to the lower portion of the housing, in response to movement of the mailbox door from the second door position to the first door position. A support member is provided for releasably retaining the mail support in the first mail support position, regardless of the position of the mailbox door and the lower support.
Preferably, the support member includes an elongated member in the housing, the elongated member having an angled stub at an upper end portion thereof, and the elongated member being movable between a support position for supporting the mail support in the first mail support position, and a release position for releasing the mail support to permit the mail support to move to the second position for supplying mail to the lower portion of the housing adjacent the second opening.
The elongated member is preferably rotatably mounted in the housing between the support position and the release position, by means mounted to the housing.
The elongated member preferably includes a lower stub extending therefrom, and there is a releasable latching arrangement which includes a first latch mounted in the housing for latching the lower stub to retain the elongated member in the release position and a second latch mounted in the housing for latching the lower stub to retain the elongated member in the support position.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.